Legal Expert Says There’s “Damning” New Evidence of Trump Fraud Following Ivanka’s Testimony

William FurneyNov 13, 2023

Minute Read

Donald Trump is in even more legal trouble after his eldest daughter testified at his $250 million New York fraud trial, a legal expert claims.

Didn’t Recall Deals

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Ivanka Trump, 42, took the stand — after initially trying to avoid appearing at the trial, saying she was too busy in Florida with her children — and said she didn’t remember the details of real estate deals she worked on while a top executive at her father’s company, the Trump Organization.

New Evidence Entered

But, says MSNBC legal analyst Lisa Rubin, her appearance on the stand meant the prosecution under New York Attorney General Letitia James could enter communications between Ivanka and others into evidence — and that they were damaging.

‘Daming Documents’

Rubin wrote in a live blog on MSNBC News that Ivanka said in her testimony that she didn’t remember seeking a loan in 2016 even though prosecutors presented documents showing she did.

“Some of those documents, as I have already noted, are damning,” she wrote. “Especially Ivanka’s admission in an internal Trump Org. email that the terms offered by Deutsche Bank’s private wealth management group were as good as they get, even if concerns about Trump’s ability to satisfy the bank’s covenants were in doubt.”

Seeking a Favorable Loan

Ivanka had been seeking an additional loan for Trump Doral, a luxury hotel and golf course in Miami, Florida, but had not been able to get the interest rate she was after, the court heard. She found what she was looking for in Rosemary Vrablic of Germany’s Deutsche Bank.

‘Too Good to Be True’ Loan

Rubin said in her live blog: “Unable to find financing with acceptable interest rates, Ivanka was rescued by Rosemary Vrablic, who offered an interest rate that was almost too good to be true in exchange for two key variables: a personal guarantee from Donald Trump and a minimum net worth of $2-3 billion, exclusive of the estimated value of his brand. These were not incidental to Deutsche Bank’s decision to lend; they were, in fact, instrumental to that decision.”

‘Doesn’t Get Better’

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The prosecution then showed the court an email Ivanka sent to executives at the Trump Organization that said of the Deutsche Bank loan offer: “[I]t doesn’t get better than this.” Ivanka said that while she didn’t recall the details, the loan details from Deutsche Bank were attractive.

The Case Against Trump

Attorney General James brought the case against Trump, sons Donald Jr and Eric and several executives at the Trump Organization on charges they committed years of fraud by inflating the value of their properties by around $2 billion to get cheap loans.

Other Testimonies

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The two sons have already testified at the trial, in Manhattan, saying they weren’t aware of financial records because they left that to the company’s accountants.

Trump’s Own Testimony

Trump has also taken the stand at the trial, and repeatedly clashed with the judge, Arthur Engoron, as well as attacking him. He is under gag order, after attacking people connected with the case, and has broken it twice — leading to Judge Engoron to slap him with two fines totalling $15,000.

A Judicial Finding

Judge Engoron has ruled there was “convincing evidence” that fraud was committed by the defendants, and as a punishment he canceled several of Trump’s business licenses.

Possible Big Fine

Prosecutors are pressing the court to stop Trump doing business in New York ever again, and they also want a fine of at least $250 million imposed. Trump, a Republican, denies the charges, and says they’re due the attorney general, a Democrat, wanting to stop him from becoming president again.

Trump the GOP Frontrunner

The New York trial comes at a time when Trump, 77, is poised to become the GOP candidate for the 2024 presidential election. He is currently polling nationally about 50 points ahead of other Republican hopefuls, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, whose once-promising campaign has imploded over a number of issues that didn’t go down well with voters.

Trump’s Other Legal Problems

Apart from his New York case, Trump is fighting off four indictments that carry a total of 91 criminal charges. They include allegedly trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election he lost to Joe Biden, alleged mishandling of secret government files and a hush money case. Again, Trump denies the charges, and has pleaded not guilty. He claims the cases are a “political witch hunt” by Democratic operatives intent on keeping him from the White House.